1. Field
This field relates to software, and more particularly for software to customize an operating system upon a first execution by a user and improvements in the manufacturing process of computer systems by utilizing such improvements.
2. Description
Computer systems in general and International Business Machines (IBM) compatible personal computer systems, in particular, have attained widespread use for providing computer power to many segments of today's modern society. A personal computer system can usually be defined as a desk top, floor standing, or portable microcomputer that includes a system unit having a system processor and associated volatile and non-volatile memory, a display monitor, a keyboard, one or more diskette drives, a fixed disk storage device and an optional printer. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a system board to electrically connect these components together. These personal computer systems are information handling systems which are designed primarily to give independent computing power to a single user (or a group of users in the case of personal computers which serve as computer server systems) and are inexpensively priced for purchase by individuals or small businesses. A personal computer system may also include one or a plurality of devices (i.e. peripheral devices) which are coupled to the system processor and which perform specialized functions. Examples of I/O devices include modems, sound and video devices or specialized communication devices. Mass storage devices such as hard disks, CD-ROM drives and magneto-optical drives are also considered to be peripheral devices.
Manufacturers of personal computers often pre-install an operating system, such as the Microsoft Windows 95.TM. operating system, the Microsoft Windows NT.TM. operating system, or the IBM OS/2.TM. operating system. These modem operating systems are increasingly large in term of both complexity and storage requirements, often requiring several megabytes of hard drive space. When a manufacturer installs an operating system, the manufacturer often uses another computer to copy an image of the operating system from a separate hard drive onto the target hard drive being created for the customer using a specialized software program.
Copying an image of a hard drive, rather than installing the operating system on each customer system, saves considerable time. However, once the image is created, it is quite difficult to customize the customer's system without either creating and copying a new image or tuning on the customer's machine and providing the customizations.
Creating multiple images and copying the image most suited to the customer's request is helpful when installing standard applications, such as the Microsoft Office.TM. suite of applications, which are requested for multiple customers. Multiple images increases the complexity of the manufacturing process as well as increasing the computer requirements for making the images available to the installation process. Furthermore, the manufacturer may wish to make small customizations to help the user get acquainted with the new computer and to help build brand identity and loyalty for the manufacturer. In addition, some large corporate customers may request a particular custonization, such as an application to display the corporate PC usage guidelines to the customer's employee.